BloodClan
by Faramir Lover 93
Summary: Blaze is enjoying his life in BloodClan, where he is a loyal warrior. But when a she-cat named Rain comes along, his loyalty will be tested. Warning: Has blood and violence.
1. Chapter 1

Blaze sniffed, disgusted by the pathetic cowards. The MudClan cats dropped on their bellies before Claw. As well they should! The leader of BloodClan deserved respect.

The leader of MudClan stepped forward, keeping his head lowered. "We are here to pay the tribute."

Claw nodded. "Bring them forward, Sludge."

Sludge nudged forward three kits. They shrank back from Claw. He carefully inspected them.

"We will take that tom," Claw meowed, nudging a tabby with a determined expression.

Sludge pushed the kit forward and led his warriors away as fast as he could.

"Frost, take him to the cave," Claw ordered his mate.

Frost herded the kit away. By the end of the day, LeafClan and CloudClan had given their tributes to BloodClan as well.

Once a season, BloodClan accepted tributes of toms from the other three Clans, and once a year they accepted she-cat tributes. BloodClan accepted these in exchange for keeping the other Clans safe and not driving them out. BloodClan was by far the strongest Clan and loved battle more than anything. The she-cats became servants, and the toms were forced to go through the Trial. If they proved they were strong enough, they could join BloodClan, the greatest honor imaginable. If not, they were killed.

"Hi, Blaze," Adder meowed. "Excited for the Ceremony?"

Adder and Blaze had grown up together.

"I can't wait," Blaze replied.

"I can't believe we were in the Ceremony just two seasons ago," Adder meowed.

Blaze nodded. He couldn't believe it either. The kits that were going to participate seemed so young.


	2. Chapter 2

That night, the BloodClan cats gathered in a large clearing. The sun was sinking, leaving a bloody trail. This was a sacred time for the BloodClan cats, a time when the spirits of their ancestors were closer to them.

Claw jumped onto a tree stump. "Tonight, we are here for endings and beginnings. Blood will be spilled."

"Blood!" "Blood!" the Clan yowled.

"Bring out the tom tributes," Claw ordered.

Frost nudged forward the three toms. Blaze exchanged a look with Adder. This was the moment they had been waiting for.

"You must now pass the Trial," Claw meowed, his eyes gleaming. "If you prove you are strong enough, you will be granted the honor of joining BloodClan. If you fail, you will be killed."

The kits widened their eyes.

"You must get to the Bonetree," Claw meowed. "It is a tree without leaves that is almost white like bone. It is a sacred place for BloodClan, because it is where the spirits of our ancestors can be heard most clearly. We leave offerings there for our ancestors. If they want you to join BloodClan, they will guide you. I will give you until sunrise before I send out my warriors after you. And don't think about trying to run away. I have guards posted on the borders."

Blaze smirked as he saw the toms' looks turn to panic when they saw how little time they had. BloodClan territory was large, and the moon was already full overhead.

"Where is the Bonetree?" one of the toms piped up.

A malicious gleam came into Claw's eyes. "If I told you that, it wouldn't really be a Trial. Now go! Run! And pray that the spirits of BloodClan will be with you."

The toms backed away slowly, as if they couldn't really believe they could leave. When no cat made any move toward them, they fled.

"I don't think the CloudClan tom will make it," Ember meowed scathingly.

Blaze nodded at his sister. "He was trembling during the entire Ceremony!"

"A true BloodClan warrior doesn't show fear," Adder agreed.

"I can't wait for the Chase," Ember hissed.

BloodClan she-cats were just like toms; they fought unless they chose to have kits. The she-cat tributes did all the menial work like cleaning out the dens.

Blaze clawed the ground impatiently. He couldn't wait to show those weaklings what it meant to be a true BloodClan warrior!


	3. Chapter 3

When the sun started to rise, the cats looked at Claw expectantly.

"Stone, Storm, and Ash, go straight to Bonetree and see if any made it," Claw ordered. "Nettle, Strike, Blaze, and Adder, go indirectly to Bonetree near the CloudClan border."

Claw kept giving orders, but Blaze didn't hear them because he was running into the woods with his best friend and the other two cats. Nettle was a formidable she-cat, and Strike was one of the most dangerous toms in the Clan.

They ran through the forest, stopping every now and then to scent the air. As they neared the CloudClan border, Strike hissed and stopped. Blaze scented the air. He smelled LeafClan! And it wasn't very stale.

Blaze silently padded after Nettle and Strike. Blaze heard the crunch of paws on leaves and the patrol raced toward it. He could smell the fear-scent of the tom as it ran for its life. Blaze saw the tom, and hissed with delight as the distance between him and the BloodClan cats shortened.

Nettle clawed at the tom's tail, but missed. Strike signaled with his tail, and the BloodClan cats spread out around the tom. He yowled in fear. Strike leaped at the tom and succeeded in tripping him. Both the toms rolled over. Blaze leaped at the tom and raked his claws down his back. The tom yowled, and brought his paw back, but Adder bit his tail. Nettle and Strike joined the fight, and it was not long before the tom gave a hiss of defeat and fell to the ground. Strike bit his throat.

The BloodClan cats silently panted for a few moments, enjoying the smell of blood and the feel of victory.

"You fought well, Blaze and Adder," Strike meowed.

Blaze dipped his head to the senior warrior. It was an honor to be complimented by Strike. He was a legend among BloodClan cats.

Blaze and Adder exchanged a triumphant look. They had done it!


	4. Chapter 4

"We must take his body to the Bonetree," Strike meowed.

Strike and Nettle dragged the tom's body through the dust while Blaze and Adder followed. They were the last to arrive at the Bonetree. The whole Clan came to Bonetree for this part of the Ceremony.

"So none made it," Claw meowed. "Pity."

The bodies of the toms were dragged under the Bonetree as an offering to their ancestors. Blaze shivered as he heard whispers around him.

"Kits of BloodClan, come forward," Claw meowed.

Queens nudged forward their kits. They had to be around six moons old to participate in the Ceremony.

"Elders of BloodClan, come forward," Claw meowed.

The elders that had chosen to participate in this Ceremony hobbled forward. They would be granted the highest honor.

"Elders, you have served BloodClan well," Claw meowed. "Your time has ended, and now it is time for a new generation to step forward and fill your pawsteps."

The kits and elders lined up so that one kit faced one elder. There was a silence for a few moments. Blaze dug his claws into the ground.

"Kill!" Claw screeched.

The kits leaped forward, clawing or biting out the throats of the elders. The elders closed their eyes and accepted this. When the elders all lay in a pool of blood, the Clan yowled triumphantly.

"You are now warriors of BloodClan," Claw meowed. "You have spilled your first blood!"

"Blood!" "Blood!" the Clan yowled.

The kits looked proudly at each other.

The BloodClan cats broke into groups and meowed together or headed back to the camp. Blaze stifled a yawn. He had had a long day.

"Want to go back to the camp?" he asked Adder.

"Sure," Adder agreed.

The two toms walked back to the camp, and fell asleep in their nests.


	5. Chapter 5

Blaze opened his eyes. He looked around at the sleeping cats around him. He carefully crept out of the cave and saw that it was already light out. He picked a mouse out of the fresh-kill pile and started eating.

He saw Claw emerge from the bramble bush that was his den. A queen emerged from the nursery, a holly bush, and headed for the dirtplace. The servants started to walk out of the cave where they lived. They stood before Claw as he ordered them to their different tasks. Blaze saw the warriors start to emerge from their den. Adder was among them, yawning sleepily.

"Hey," Adder meowed.

"Morning," Blaze replied. "What do you want to do today?"

Adder shrugged. "I don't know. But I want to eat first."

Blaze watched Claw assign the patrols. The only thing warriors were assigned to was patrolling the borders with the other Clans. With the rest of their time they could do whatever they wanted. Blaze saw a queen and her kits walk out of the nursery. Queens trained their own kits, so they were probably off to the training area.

"I'm done," Adder meowed, swiping his tongue across his lips.

"Let's go hunt," Blaze suggested.

"Sure," Adder agreed.

The servants hunted, so there would always be plenty of fresh-kill but Blaze and many other BloodClan warriors thought killing prey was a good replacement of killing cats when there was peace. It still gave them a bit of a thrill.

The two toms trotted out of the camp. Blaze stopped as he smelled squirrel. He stopped to pinpoint it. He saw a flicker of movement and crept toward it. He leaped, and missed. A root he hadn't seen tripped him and he rolled, slamming into a rock.

Adder trotted up to him, looking worried. "Are you okay?"

Blaze tried to stand and hissed in pain. His shoulder hurt like foxdung. He looked over and saw blood running down his leg.

"You should get back to camp," Adder meowed.

Blaze leaned on Adder and hobbled back to the camp. Claw trotted up to him and sniffed the wound.

"This needs a medicine cat," Claw meowed. "Night, Flint, escort Blaze into LeafClan territory."

The two cats nodded and helped Blaze out of the camp. BloodClan didn't have a medicine cat, and LeafClan's camp was the closest. By the time they got there, Blaze was gritting his teeth and praying to his warrior ancestors.

The leader of LeafClan warily approached the BloodClan cats. "What do you want?"

"He needs a medicine cat, Branch," Flint answered.

Branch nodded. "Bramble, come here."

A white tom padded toward them. He sniffed at Blaze's wound, and then he walked into his den. He came back with herbs, which he chewed up a pressed on Blaze's shoulder. Blaze hissed in pain.

Night and Flint started forward, ears pinned at Bramble.

"Do you want me to heal him or not?" Bramble meowed exasperatedly. "It will hurt before it can heal."

Night and Flint exchanged a suspicious glance, but sat down again.

"Try to keep weight off of your leg until it scars over," Bramble meowed. "But I don't know if that's possible with you BloodClan cats."

Blaze pinned his ears. He had never been talked to that way before from a non-BloodClan cat. He admired the tom's spirit.

Night and Flint escorted him back to the camp. Adder was waiting anxiously.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Blaze nodded. "It feels better now."

Adder purred. "Good. But you should get some sleep."

Blaze walked over to the fresh-kill pile that the servants had collected and carried a mouse to his den. He fell asleep thinking of Bramble, and his sharp tongue.


	6. Chapter 6

Blaze watched Claw jump on top of the tree stump. He yowled with the other BloodClan cats. It was leaf-fall, a time of special significance to the BloodClan cats. This was when the leaves turned bloody and fell to the ground. This also was the only time of year when BloodClan accepted she-cat as well as tom tributes.

"Tonight, we are here for endings and beginnings," Claw yowled. "Blood will be spilled!"

"Blood!" "Blood!" the Clan yowled.

"Bring out the she-cat tributes," Claw ordered.

Frost nudged forward the three she-cats.

"You are now servants of BloodClan," Claw meowed. "Not belonging to any one cat but to the Clan as a whole."

"I don't want to be a servant," a dark tabby from CloudClan meowed defiantly.

The Clan hissed in surprise.

Claw nodded. "Then you shall participate in the Trial with the toms."

Blaze shook his head. This she-cat didn't know what she had gotten herself into.

Frost led away the other two she-cats.

"Bring out the tom tributes!" Claw ordered.

Frost brought out the three toms. Blaze saw their eyes grow wide with fear as Claw explained the Trial. To his surprise, the she-cat didn't look very frightened.

"Go now!" Claw yowled. "And pray that the spirits of BloodClan will protect you!"

The toms looked around in confusion.

"We have to stay together!" the she-cat meowed. "Follow me!"

Blaze was impressed by her determination. He watched the cats run out of the camp.

"She shouldn't have been allowed to participate," Flint yowled.

"We let our own she-cats fight," Claw reasoned. "I saw no reason she shouldn't have the choice."

Blaze nodded, but he saw that Flint wasn't the only cat to have concerns.


	7. Chapter 7

When the sun started rising, Claw ordered the cats to go on the Chase. This time, Blaze was chosen to go directly to Bonetree with Snake, Flint, and Maggot. When they arrived there, Blaze saw to his surprise that the she-cat was sitting at the base of the Bonetree.

"Congratulations," Maggot meowed.

The she-cat didn't look up. "I tried to keep them with me, but they got scared."

"The spirits of our ancestors must have been with you," Snake meowed.

Blaze watched as the rest of the Clan arrived, followed by Claw. Patrols carrying the bodies of the toms arrived soon after.

"This she-cat has passed the Trial!" Claw yowled. "Our ancestors have accepted her. She will be known as Lightning from now on."

Lightning held her head high and met Claw's gaze. "I have no desire to be a BloodClan cat. The only reason I am doing this is because I know you'll kill me if I don't."

The Clan hissed angrily. It was an honor to be a BloodClan warrior.

Claw's eyes flashed. "You are right. We would kill you."

Lightening met his gaze unflinchingly.

"Kits of BloodClan, come forward," Claw ordered.

The queens pushed forward their kits, and they lined up on either side of Lightning.

"Elders of BloodClan, come forward," Claw meowed.

The elders came forward and lined up facing the kits.

"Kill!" Claw yowled.

The kits leaped forward and attacked the elders. Lightening watched, disgust plain on her face. But her resolve hardened and she quickly bit out the throat of the elder in front of her.

"You are now warriors of BloodClan!" Claw yowled. "You have spilled your first blood."

"Blood!" "Blood!" the Clan chanted.

Blaze saw that Lightning was still sitting in the same spot, even though the Clan was heading back to the camp. She was trying to hide it, but Blaze could see she was exhausted and confused.

He didn't know why, but he started walking toward her. She met his gaze defiantly when he approached her.

"Come on, Lightning" Blaze meowed. "The camp is this way."

"My name is Rain," she quietly meowed.

She got to her paws and silently followed Blaze back to the camp. Blaze led her into the cave where the warriors slept. He laid down next to Adder, and she laid down on Blaze's other side. He was surprised at how comforting it was to have her there.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Blaze woke up to see Rain next to him. She looked so innocent when she was asleep. As if to prove him wrong, Rain slowly blinked opened her eyes and yawned.

"I'm starving," she meowed.

"This way to the fresh-kill pile," Blaze meowed, leading her out of the cave.

He picked out a squirrel and watched Rain grab a sparrow. They ate in silence.

He saw a servant walking by. "You! Go and make a nest for Ra—Lightning next to mine. And if she has any complaints, I'll take it out on your pelt!"

The servant flinched and nodded, hurrying into the forest to collect some moss.

"Why do you treat them like that?" Rain asked, her fur bristling. "You should be kinder."

Blaze blinked in surprise. "They are here to serve us."

"But that doesn't mean you have to be so cruel," Rain protested.

Blaze realized he had never thought about why they treated servants that way. He had just done what all the other warriors did.

"Blaze!" Adder meowed, trotting up to him. "What do you want to do today?"

"I thought we could show Lightning the territory," Blaze meowed.

Adder shook his head, looking at Blaze like he was crazy. "Uh, no thanks."

"Well, let's go then," Blaze meowed to Rain.

"Don't you need to ask your leader's permission?" Rain asked as they padded out of the camp.

Blaze shook his head. "Claw only assigns patrols, and he always has plenty of volunteers for that. It's the most interesting thing to do. The servants do all the menial tasks, and Claw organizes them."

"In CloudClan our leader, Sunbeam, makes sure that all the warriors get a chance to do everything," Rain explained. "That way everything's fair."

"There's the training area," Blaze pointed out, keeping his thoughts about how crazy the other Clans were to himself.

It was a clearing that was reduced to dust from so many cats training there. Blaze watched one of the queens train her kit.

Rain's eyes widened. "That's awful! That kit can't be more than three moons old!"

"He's about three moons," Blaze meowed. "He has to learn his battle skills before he becomes a warrior."

"And when will he become a warrior?" Rain asked.

"When he reaches about six moons," Blaze answered.

Rain hissed. "In CloudClan, kits become apprentices when they're six moons old. Then their mentor trains them for a few moons until they become warriors."

"The queens know how much their kits can take," Blaze meowed.

"Queens train their own kits?" Rain asked in shock.

Blaze felt uncomfortable under her stare. "We'd better go or it will be night by the time we finish."

"Here is the Bonetree," Blaze meowed when they arrived there.

Rain looked uneasy. "Why do you kill your elders?"

"It is an honor for a BloodClan warrior to be killed in battle," Blaze explained. "But elders don't have that chance. The kits kill them to become warriors so that older warriors don't purposefully die in battle to obtain honor."

Rain shook her head. "In my Clan, elders are respected for their wisdom and left in peace in exchange for the service they did for their Clan."

Blaze showed Rain the rest of the territory, and they returned to camp just as the sun was setting. Blaze watched the sun set in a bloody light and almost could hear the spirits of his ancestors murmuring to him. But if they were warning him, he couldn't hear.


End file.
